


Learning to Live Again

by Tea4T



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Complete, F/M, Inspired by Music, Keith & Shiro (Voltron) are Adoptive Siblings, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Slow Burn, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-04-30 18:20:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14502801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tea4T/pseuds/Tea4T
Summary: After a hard break-up, Keith struggles to find himself again. With little trust left, he moves through life alone but that works well for him. His brother Shiro is worried about him, so he plans a meet and greet with a friend of Allura's, and hopes everything works out right. He knows Keith isn't looking for a relationship, but Shiro just wants him to have a friend.





	1. Rough Around The Edges

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone! I'm writing a new fic, yes I know I still have an unfinished one waiting for me. I promise I will get to it! For now, though please enjoy this one! It's loosely based on Garth Brooks' song " Learning to Live Again." It's a really good song and I love Garth. So please enjoy and make sure to leave a comment or a kudos! I look at everything single one and I usually reply to the comments! Thank you and have fun.

Grease stains and calluses marked his hand from years of hard work and martial arts training. Small scars littered Keith’s body from head to toe, caused by childhood adventures and mishaps at work. One scar, in particular, stood out more than the rest because it cut through the end of his right eyebrow. Keith got it after a getting into a scuffle with a former co-worker a few years back. HIs brother Takashi Shirogane- or just Shiro- had been both angry and understanding. The only reason Keith got into that fight in the first place was over some ignorant comments made by the ex-colleague about his sexuality. Needless to say, the fight ended with Keith having only a fat lip. A cut eyebrow and some bruised knuckles. While the other guy had it worse with a broken nose, a black eye, and a bloody lip. There was no questioning it, Keith had won that engagement. 

Aside from that, things in his life had never been the greatest. He had been bounced around from foster home to foster home from the age of six until the Shirogane’s took him in when he was twelve. His troubled past led Keith to act out as a kid, it caused the Shirogane’s a lot of headaches but they could care less, they understood and made sure that he knew they loved him like their own son. Eventually, Keith learned to love them back.

Even with a loving family to call his own Keith still suffered from severe trust issues. It took him years to warm up to the Shirogane’s and even longer to make any friends. For the longest time Katie Holt - or Pidge, as she liked to be called- was his only friends. Even then they hardly saw each other in person. They met through a cryptid hunters group chat and become fast friends. Other than Pidge, Keith only lets one other person get close to him. A guy by the name of Garth made his way into Keith life and eventually his heart. It was during the last two years of high school that they grew close. It took some coaxing but by the end of grade twelve, they were dating. That was Keith’s first major relationship, he had no idea what to expect so he let some of his walls down and put his faith in Garth. Things were going great for the first year and a half. Keith had never been happier. They graduated high school and went to the same university. They decided to keep their expenses down by rooming together instead of staying in residence. They worked so well together that Keith couldn’t find any reasons not to smile and be happy every day. Although, things slowly started to crumble by the end of their second year of university. Garth started coming home later claiming that he was out studying with friends. He slowly became colder toward Keith, snapping at him for no reason which led Keith to snap right back at him. Their fights were intense and filled with harsh words. 

Keith had thought this kind of behaviour was normal for some long-term relationship, it had seen it before during his time in the system, but he was wrong. He had been blinded by what he thought was love that he missed all the signs. It wasn’t until he caught Garth with someone else in their bed that he finally pieced everything together. The realization hit him like a brick. After sending the unknown person away with harsh words Keith immediately started packing his things. Even though they had been together for almost two years Keith didn’t have much in the way of personal belongings. Once everything was put away in his bag, he left without another word. His trust had been shattered and he didn’t know if it was ever going to be repaired. 

That had happened a couple of years ago. Thankfully at the time, Shiro had lived closed by and let Keith stay in his guest room while he finished school. Once receiving his bachelor's degree in automotive engineering, Keith moved out of Shiro’s and into his own place across the city. He got himself a job in a high-end auto repair and restoration shop. The hours were long but the pay was good. From there on. it had just been him and his orange tabby, Red. That's all he needed. Since Garth, Keith never let anyone else in. He was terrified of getting hurt again and it took a toll on his social life. He didn’t know if he could take another hit to his fragile trust like that again. So he closed himself off from others. Kept his head down and did his job. He was cold and abrasive to people who tried to get to know him. Many would say that he was an awful, bitter person with no heart but Shiro knew that wasn’t true. To him, Keith was just a little rough around the edges but once you got past all his walls, Keith really did care. He cared a lot.


	2. Just my luck, they're right on time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter! I was struggling a little with it but I think it's okay, I may change it, I don't know yet. please let me know if there are any mistakes and things that I could work on! I'm hoping to the next chapter up by Monday, or some time over the weekend. Any, I will hopefully have an update for Calm After the Storm as well, now that I have my laptop back!

At the age of twenty-five Keith thought his life was going just fine but according to Shiro things could be a little better. Keith knew his brother was just worried about him, after things with Garth, Keith’s life became dull. He stopping smiling and laughing. He barely socialized with anyone other than Pidge, which wasn’t very often. As Shiro pointed out once, Keith was reclusive and lonely. No matter how many times Keith told Shiro that he was wrong, that he was just fine on his own, he was lying to himself and Shiro knew it. 

Shiro couldn’t stand to see his little brother is such a state. He knew that Keith didn’t necessarily need a love, but he needed a friend. Someone he could rely on when he was in trouble. It took a while and a lot of convincing and a little bribing but Shiro finally got Keith to agree to join him and his girlfriend Allura when they were going to meet up with Lance, one of Allura’s childhood friends that just got back from travelling overseas. That was the reason why they found themselves getting ready in the entryway of Shiro’s apartment. 

“Come on Keith, it won’t be that bad,” Shiro said as he pulled on a dark grey cardigan over his deep plum button down shirt which was paired with dark wash jeans. It was a casual get together that hopefully only lasted a couple of hours. Keith may have taken the word casual a little seriously when he got dressed. Unlike Shiro, he was wearing a faded band shirt and worn out black jeans, paired with a dark red sweater. “It’s a cafe, so it’s a relaxed environment,” Shiro continued, “But if you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed at all just let me know and I will drive you home okay,” Shiro reassured him with a gentle pat on the shoulder and a soft smile. 

Keith signed and brushed a hand through his hair, “I know. It’s just… I’m-” 

“Nervous,” Shiro cut in, “I get it, but don’t worry. I hear that Lance is a chatterbox so you won’t have to talk much okay.” He smiled again before checking his pockets to make sure that he had everything before grabbing his truck keys off the hook. “Alrighty, let’s go before we’re late!” Shiro said as he shoved Keith out the front door and locked it behind him. 

They arrived at the café before the other just like Shiro had planned. He figured it would be easier on Keith if he was comfortable with his surroundings. Keith was thankful for that. The cafe was small with only a few tables and booths. There were some comfy but slightly worn out armchairs by the fake fireplace in the corner. The serving counter stretched out along one part of the left wall, its display case was lined with sweet treats from cookies to cakes. The smell of coffee hung in the air and soft music played overhead. They took a seat in one of the booths near the windows. From where they were sitting Keith could see the menu and most of the café, except for the door which was behind him. He sat across from Shiro in silence as they waited, he checked his phone every now-and-then, for no reason other than to pass the time. There were still a couple a minutes before Allure said they would be there but Keith was starting to get antsy, he had to get up and move or he was going to shake the table apart with his bouncing leg. 

Keith slipped out of the booth while Shiro was texting, he started to make his way to the counter when Shiro called out to him, “Hey, where are you going? They’re going to be here any minute.” 

“I know, I just want a drink or something. Do you want anything?” Shiro just shook his head and told him that he would wait for the others, joking about leaving Allura to pay for it. Keith chuckled at his brother and continued to the front. He ordered something simple, just a large house blend coffee in a porcelain mug with one sugar and one cream. 

It wasn’t long after Keith sat back down and got comfortable when he could Shiro standing up out of the corner of his eye. He turned to ask him where he was going when he got his answer before the question left his mouth. 

“Allura! Just on time, as usual!” Shiro greeted his girlfriend with a kind smile and open arms. She replied with a sweet hello and a soft kiss on his cheek. Her silvery- white was half up in a messy bun and the rest hung gently on her shoulders and down her back. She wore high waisted dark-wash jeans paired with a loose fitting space themed crop and a soft pink cardigan. Beside her stood a guy, who Keith figured was Lance, the person that Allura and Shiro wanted to him meet. Lance had soft short brown hair the curled a little at the ends, he wore a classic grey Nasa shirt was a dark green jean jacket over it. The jacket had a few pins and patched on it. Although it was not his clothes or his hair that caught Keith’s attention, it was Lance’s eyes. They are a dark blue, a blue that pulls a person in, so much so that Keith almost missed Allura introducing everyone. 

“-ro and the one sitting down is Keith, he’s Shiro’s brother. Hi, Keith,” Allura gave him a small wave, drawing him out of his haze, “This is my friend Lance, you know, the one I was telling you about.” Keith nodded as Lance gave him a salute and a dazzling smile before he took a seat across from him in the booth. Shiro sat down beside Keith and Allura offered to get everyone drinks. 

“So Lance, I hear you spend a year over in Europe, is that right? How was that?” Shiro asked. Lance smiled again and started right into his time overseas. The conversation continued even after Allura and their drinks arrived, but it was a conversation for three.


	3. I'm going to smile my best smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. Some of the content is rather personal to me and little difficult to write. On top of that, I was also having a lot of problems with my laptop and stuff. Anyway, here is the chapter! I hope you like it. Please let me know if there are any mistakes or if you have any ideas of where you would like to see this fic go!

Europe had been an escape for Lance. He practically ran away from all his problems when he left the country. Lance never told anyone the real reason why he left, he always gave people the simple excuse of just wanting to travel and explore whenever they would ask. Although he knew that his close friends knew and understood why he had to get away. Things had fallen through with a long-time girlfriend of his and everything else bad seemed to follow soon after. It was the passing of his beloved grandmother that really prompted Lance to leave the country for a while. His grandma meant the world to him and he took her death the hardest out of the whole family. 

While she had sick for quite some time, her death was sudden. Lance had been roughly an hour away at school when he got the call that he needed to come home immediately. Rides were quickly arranged and he made it to the hospital with only fifteen minutes to spear. Since the passing Lance regretted a lot of things like not spending enough time with her or calling to check up or anything like that but the fact that he was able to say his goodbyes, in the end, made things a little easier for him to cope. However, since the funeral, he had been itching to leave but he made sure to finish his school year before leaving. Lance knew that if he didn’t, his grandma would be upset. Right after his last exam, Lance packed his things and left with little warning for his friends and family. 

Lance had left in search of himself and something else that he just couldn’t put his finger on but he knew that he would not be able to find anything in his hometown. 

He bounced around hotels, hostels and other accommodations as he moved from country to country. Lance started in England and travelled across the channel to France, from there he made his way to Germany to Eastern Europe then down to Greece and back up to Italy. He hit almost every European nation before finally heading home. He did make sure to stop in Cuba for a bit before flying back to Canada. 

Everyone was excited to have him back and they couldn’t wait to hear all about his adventures. Lance spent almost an entire week just telling his siblings about his travels over dinner and like the good sibling he was, Lance also made sure to bring back gifts for everyone. His two best friends, Pidge and Hunk were ecstatic to have Lance back, when they met up for coffee one evening a couple of days after he got home, Hunk almost didn’t let him go when they hugged. Allura was the next friend that Lance met up with, the two of them although not best friends, had known each other since they were young. Their first outing together was an ice-cream ‘date’, it was at this get together that Allura told him that she wanted him to meet her boyfriend Shiro. Lance was happy to meet him, he had heard so much about Shiro from Allura and everyone else that he just had to see him in person. However, when Allura mentioned that he might bring a friend to make the night out like a double date, Lance became a little apprehensive. It was not as if Allura was pushing Lance to treat the evening like a date, it was just to a casual meet up but Lance felt otherwise. He knew that Allura had been trying to set him up with different people for some time as a way to get him to come back earlier but Lance was not ready for that. While he was in Europe, Lance had befriended people and flirted with various others but that was about it, things never progressed to anything like dating, he didn’t even hook up with people for a one night fling. His last relationship had been hard and the death that followed soon after made the blow worse. 

Lance had been afraid to get back into any kind of relationship because he didn’t want things to repeat themselves. He knew that was dumb and would most likely not happen but the thought still held him back. Even though he travelled to find himself, Lance never found anything. He thought about Allura’s offer and decided to take it, he had nothing to lose. 

By the time that date night rolled around, Lance was tired and nervous. He almost called to cancel but figured it was too late for that, Allura was on her way. On the ride to the café, Allura filled him in on who Shiro was bringing with him. It was his brother Keith, She explained, Keith was a shy, quiet person but he was rather nice once you got to know him, but that was a difficult thing to do. Allura mentioned that he was quick to anger but he had a kind heart. When they got there Lance recognised Shiro instantly, he was not hard to miss with his white hair and tall stature, also Lance had seen many pictures of him on Allura’s social media. 

As Allura introduced them, Lance could help but stare at Keith, they had caught eyes before Allura started talking and the held it for a bit. Lance was drawn in by his dark grey-blue eyes. They were stunning. His dark hair framed his face nicely and Lance appreciated how casual his outfit was. Lance gave Keith his best smile, trying his best to mask his tiredness. He hoped it worked. It wasn’t long after they sat down that conversation started, everyone wanted to know about his trip. Lance made sure to tell the best stories first, making sure get them laughing, 

“One of my first nights in England, I didn’t realize that the tube closed at a certain time, so I had been out pretty late on the other side of town and by the time I wanted to head back to my hotel I had missed the late train. I thought for sure I would be stuck out on the streets in the middle of London. I had no money, no phone and no idea where I was! Thankfully a passerby noticed how distraught I was and helped me out, they walked me as far as they could before they had to leave but they were super nice. Funny thing too, they turned out to be an old friend of my parents for high school. The next day after I got back to my hostel safely they took me out for a tour of the city. Oh, it was a great experience!” Lance told them. His stories continued through the night, every-now-and-then Allura would jump in and add tales of her time living in England. Soon it turned into an exchanged of various trips they had gone on over the years or places they would like to visit. 

Lance noticed that Keith didn’t add much to the conversation and tried to bring him in as much as he could, but it didn’t seem to walk well. After about an hour and a half, Keith got up to go to the washroom while Shiro took their dishes to the counter after they left Allura leaned over and whispered, “you’re doing fine,” and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. God Lance wish that’s how he felt, he had no idea how Allura knew that he was nervous but she also seemed to know when he wasn’t feeling the best. He was happy that he had agreed to join her but the evening was starting to wear on him and it was getting harder and harder to keep his smile on. 

Soon the night was coming to an end as the café was getting ready to close. No one had realized that they had been there that long but it was a nice night. Although, secretly both Lance and Keith were glad that it was almost over. To his surprise, when everyone was starting to pack up, Lance lend over and quietly asked Keith for his number with a smile. Keith at first was a little taken back, he didn’t think that he left a good impression on Lance but he was proven wrong. He took a second more to think about it and decided that Shiro would be happy if he reached out to Lance and gave him his number. 

Keith gave Lance a small smile as he handed his phone back, now with his number in it. After that everyone said their goodbyes and suggested meeting up again at a later date. By the time Keith got home he had received a message from Lance, thanking him for coming out and that he hoped to see him again. Keith prayed that this would be a good thing and the new start that he needed to get his life back up and running again.


	4. I pray that he doesn’t see

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am super sorry for the delay... I haven't really been feeling the greatest and work has been somewhat busy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

Conversations between the Keith and Lance were short and rather boring. Neither really knew how to talk to each other but that didn’t stop Lance for at least trying. Keith, on the other hand, was almost unresponsive over text message. When he did reply it was usually short or one-word answers, and they come in the evening. Other than the odd message, Lance and Keith had not seen or really spoken to each other since the date at the café. Although that would soon change, Allura wanted to go out on another “double date” with him and Keith. Even though they had hardly talked Lance as starting to like Keith and he tried to hide his quick response and bright smile.

Allura saw right through Lance. She knew that he wanted to see Keith again, she could just tell by the way he was moping around and how his eyes light up just a little when he got a rare text from Keith. It was obvious no matter how hard Lance tried to hide it, there was something about Keith that just drew him in.

For the next “double date” location Lance was a little surprised, a picnic, Allura told him. She wanted to go on a picnic. Lance wanted to argue about it but she was right, the weather was beautiful and it would be a nice change from the usual. Allura made sure to tell him to wear nice casual clothes like before and to bring a heavier sweater for later in the evening. Lance complied and also brought some extra food from Hunk along too. By the day of the date, Lance was pretty excited and was driving Hunk crazy with his happy chatter.

Keith, on the other hand, was nervous out of his mind. He had not been on two dates with a person since he can’t remember when. He was astonished that Lance wanted to go back out on a date with him after the first one and the lack of conversation through text message. When Shiro told him the location for the date Keith tried to argue about it. A picnic… that was an awful idea! It was way too personal for Keith but there was no changing Allura’s mind.

The day of the picnic was warm with partly clear skies and little to no wind. Not much was planned for the day other than to eat, hang out and relax. They found a nice spot in their local park that was a way for most people but not too far for the park common facilities.

Shiro and Keith laid out the classic red and white checker blanket on the soft grass, making sure to flatten any big wrinkles. After they were done and seated, Allura and Lance set out utensils and food.

“You can thank Hunk for the food,” Lance commented as he set on of Hunk’s signature dishes down on the blanket, “you really need to meet him in person soon Keith. I know he is just dying to meet you.” Lance added.

“Yeah, he’s dying to finally meet the person who you talk about non-stop,” Allura laughed as Lance blushed. She had heard from Pidge and Hunk that Lance talks about Keith a lot, even though they had not really hung around each other much since the first ‘double date’. Keith had somehow grabbed Lance’s attention and maybe his feeling too. It had surprised her just how fast Lance had taken a shining to Keith but she could understand. Once you get past the hard front and social awkward personality, he was a pretty interesting person. Allura and she knows that Shiro thought that same were rather happy that the two seemed to get along.

Shiro sat down beside Allura, nudging her should gentle before saying, “Don’t worry Lance, I’m sure Pidge would say the same things in regards to Keith talking about you.” Shiro chuckled as he watched Keith’s face heat up and how he shot him a sharp glare. After Keith sat down, the conversation switched away from him and Lance to the food. Lance was right when he said that Hunk made some of the best dishes.

As the day passed, many embarrassing stories were told and some good laughs were shared. The first time Keith let out a true full laugh everyone was a little shocked but for all different reasons. Shiro had not heard him laugh like that for some time, Allura, on the other hand, didn’t realize that Keith could laugh like that. The one who was the most surprised at Keith unrestrained laughter was Lance. He was taken back at the openness of it and the way Keith’s nose crinkled up and his cheeks turned a soft pink. Everything about Keith and his laugh made Lance blush.

Lance brought his hand up to cover his heart as he looked away from Keith. His heart was beating so fast and hard that it hurt. He lightly clenched his hand around his shirt and willed his heart to slow down. _God, I forgot what it was like to have real feelings_ Lance thought, _I hope he doesn’t see._ Soon enough Keith and the other calmed down and the picnic continued. A little while later sun started to set and everyone was starting to clean up Allura motioned for Shiro to get something out of the small bag that he brought along with him.

“Alright guys, we’re going to have a little fun with…” Allure giggled as she took two long and slender sized boxes from Shiro, “Sparklers!” she cheered as she handed one box to Lance and one to Keith.

“Now we each have a box and they all have ten sparklers in them, but please try not to waste them or burn each other,” Shiro gave both Keith and Lance a pointed look. He knew how Keith could get and he had a feeling that Lance was much the same. Shiro handed a box to Allura after she rummaged through her own bag for a minute.

Tucking the box under her arm Allura started to set a tripod,“I brought my camera so we can take some fun low light pictures!” She smiled as she watched Lance’s face light up at the thought. Keith, on the other hand, wasn’t really listening, he was already tearing into his sparklers. He loved them, always had too. He only had good memories about sparklers, many other things in Keith life had been tainted by bad experience but not sparklers. No, they were normally used for celebrations and holidays. Good times. It was a small constant association that Keith held onto through every different family and place that he went.

Keith, of course, was the first to have his lit. Once the sparks started flying he bolted. Keith made sure to put a good distance between himself and the other so he could dance around without any worry of hitting anyone. Lance soon joined him, laughing the whole time. Unbeknownst to either of them, Allura had already started taking pictures. A few minutes after Lance, Shiro jumped into the fun too, not wanting to miss out, Allura set her camera on a timer and made her way to the rest of the group.

Their laughter mixed in with the soft clicks of the camera and the gentle music that was playing from Allura’s phone on the picnic blanket. Within twenty minutes both Lance and Keith were out of sparklers but neither wanted their fun to end. While Shiro and Allura drew shapes in the air, they danced around some more to the bubbly pop music until it finally shifted to a slower tune. Lance took that change as a sign and made his move.

Lance extended his hand to Keith who had stopped moving for a moment to catch his breath, “Keith, would you dance with me?” Keith was so happy that it was dark out at the moment because he was a blushing mess. Although, despite that fact, Keith agreed anyway. Now Lance’s hand is in his and Keith swears that he had forgotten everything, even Lance’s name for a couple of seconds. Keith is almost overwhelmed by a new wave of feelings, they are close to painful. He hasn’t felt this way in a long time. He turns his head slightly away from Lance and hopes that he doesn’t see the shocked expression on his face.

The evening was ending all too quickly for the two of them. With everyone done their sparklers they called it a night and crammed back into Shiro’s car. Keith relaxed in the back seat while Lance and Allura reviewed some of the pictures that she took. Keith almost fell asleep but the jerking motion of the car parking woke him up.

“Hey sorry, I have to stop at the store real quick, I forgot that I needed to pick something up for work,” Shiro said sheepishly. Allura offered to go in with him, she wanted to get a drink.

Keith looked around and recognized the area, they were not too far from his apartment, “Hey Shiro,” he called out to his brother before he went inside, “I think I’ll just walk home from here, my apartment is just around the corner.”

“Oh, you’re right! Sure Keith, have a good night and let me know when you get home okay!” Shiro replied from the door of the store.

Lance got out of the car with the keys in hand, “hey I’m going to walk with him okay, so here are your keys!” he yelled and throw the key ring at Shiro, who swiftly caught them. He smiled and wave at them, both before heading inside the store with Allura. Lance jogged over to meet up with Keith since he already started walking away.

“You know that you don’t have to walk with me. It’s honestly a five-minute walk from here to my place right,” Keith said when Lance caught up.

Keith watched Lance through the corner of his eye waiting for a response. “I know but it’s a nice night and you have no idea how long it can take Allura to choose a drink. I didn’t really want to be waiting in the car for the rest of my life,” Lance joked.

His joke received a chuckle from Keith, “yeah, you’re right.”

The rest of the walk to Keith apartment was filled with mindless chatter, mainly from Lance by neither seemed to mind. The trip went by too fast and before they knew they were standing under the porch light of Keith place.

“Hey, I had a great time tonight,” Keith commented as he unlocked his door, “I’m really glad Allura planned that.” He turned to Lance to say thank you for walking him home but Lance stopped him.

“Yeah, I’m happy too,” Lance leaned over and kissed Keith on the cheek before whispering goodnight and stepping off the porch. Keith was stunned for a second, he was not expecting that. As Lance slowing retreated to the sidewalk he watched Keith gentle put his hand where he had just kissed and softly smile before he looked over at Lance.

“Wait!” Keith called out, stopping Lance’s movements, “Can… Can I see you like this again?” he asked sheepishly.

Lance’s eyes light up. This was what he was hopping from! Of course, he wanted to see Keith again, especially on another date, maybe an official date next time too. His heart was racing while he replied, “We’ll see,” with a wink and a wave goodnight. Both were a blushing mess when turned around but their smiles were true and their hearts were painfully beating and their heads filled with emotions they had not felt in a long time. _God this learning to live again is killing me_ was the same thought that ran through both of their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I think I'm to end things here... I don't really know where to go from here and the song kinda ends around there too. so yeah, but if you have any ideas of a possible continuation let me know!


End file.
